July 2007 News Archive (Page 4)

The following interview with Kelly Clarkson is taken from the latest issue of Reader’s Digest:

On making her albums:
“There’ve been a lot of cooks in the kitchen on all three of my albums. Everybody wants a success, so that’s great. On the other hand, the kitchen gets real crowded.”

On the RCA Records haters:
“They hated Miss Independent on my first album. It was No. 1 for six weeks, then they got behind it. They hated Breakaway. The song I wrote that they hated the most was Because of You. I fought and fought for it, it became successful and they finally got behind it. I’m not complaining, I’ll just say no until I get my way, and I did.”

On rumors that Clive Davis didn’t like her new album, My December:
“I just want people to hear it, instead of 100-year old executives making decisions on what’s good for pop radio. It’s people my age who listen to it. My gut hasn’t been wrong yet, so why wouldn’t I continue to follow it?”

On American Idol:
“I did my own hair and makeup for the first half of the shows. What you saw us wearing was our stuff from home. We’d be in a magazine under the heading ‘What Was She Thinking?’ I was like, I’m thinking I ain’t got no money.”

On money:
“I have saved and saved, and I don’t have to work another day. When I won Idol and started working with a business manager, she asked, ‘What do you want?’ I was like, I don’t ever want to have to make a decision because I need money. So we accomplished that two years ago, and I’m set.”

So much for joining a new play.

American Idol winner Fantasia Barrino, who received rave reviews for Broadway bow as Celie in The Color Purple, has extended her run with the musical at the Broadway Theater through 2008.

The acclaimed singer, who was originally scheduled to depart in October, will now stay with the production through Jan. 6, 2008, according to a press announcement.

Fantasia won American Idol in May 2004, in the show's third season, defeating Diana DeGarmo in the final round, who has subsequently appeared on Broadway in Hairspray. Fantasia went on to release two solo albums, "Free Yourself" in 2004 and "Fantasia" in December 2006.

Fantasia previously spoke to Playbill.com about playing the role of Celie, which was created on Broadway by Tony winner LaChanze.

"If you really put yourself in her shoes," Fantasia said, "that can be very tiring. It can take a lot of energy out of you. I know when I get off the stage at night from shows, I'm exhausted. I run to my room, and I fall on the couch, and I have to take at least about ten minutes to wind down and to get my thoughts together and come out of the part of Celie."

American Idol finalist Sabrina Sloan has been out of the spotlight for a bit. But she recently spoke with Buddy TV. Here are a few excerpts:

First, can you tell us a little bit about what made you audition for American Idol last season?
Yeah, I've been a fan for the last five years watching the show from the first season, and my friends and family were always telling me, “You could be on the show, you can totally compete on that show. You should go audition.”

And I was actually in New York, on Broadway, kind of doing my thing but I wanna go, you see every year people get kicked off that should stay, and it's kinda controversial who ends up winning. But I thought I absolutely have nothing to lose, I just really wanna try and get in the show and I decided this year I had to do it.

When you went into those auditions, did you think you had a pretty good chance to move on once you got there and saw the competition?
I did. It wasn't too overwhelming, actually. I flew to Minneapolis from here to audition. I live in LA, but when they were in Pasadena, I was throwing my best friend her bachelorette party in Las Vegas so I missed the LA audition and ended up going to Minneapolis.

And it was still a huge, huge crowd but I actually got really lucky and got in kind of in the first couple of hours and like out by 8 am so it wasn't like the long, long day that I thought it would be and I...I felt like, yeah, I mean when I walked in, you don't know what people sound like necessarily but the characters around you so you kind of feel like, “Well, I've got just as good a shot as anybody else.”

One of the things I think viewers don't get to see enough of is the Hollywood week and kind of what happens there, you know. Can you explain to us a little bit about your experience in Hollywood week?
Hollywood week was crazy, cause I watched it on TV too so you just think it's so...you're up all night, it was crazy. And it's intense. It's a little like boot camp, it's a little like, you know, kind of a sorority rush cause you're on lock down in the hotel and you're around people you don't really know, you're rooming with somebody you didn't know before, maybe you just met and day in day out, going up and singing a song and getting cut and like hanging out for the day, like the girls day where they took us out at Long Beach and it was a good four days, five days and by the end of it, it gets really intense during that group daytime when you're working with three or four people trying to memorize lyrics or put together a song, a routine for the judges.

It was a whole lot of pressure and not a lot of sleep and at that point everybody really wants it bad because everybody gets into Hollywood thinks they absolutely belong in the show so it gets really competitive at that point.

To read the full interview, click here.

American Idol finalist Melinda Doolittle had quite a homecoming Wednesday when the Brentwood resident and former back-up singer took center stage at the Sommet Center with the nine other Idol finalists.

"I am so excited to be home," Melinda said to The Tennesseean. "Nashville has been amazingly supportive. They have done more than their share of helping me out, so I am excited to be able to say thank you."

What's next for Doolitte?

"That is the best question in the world. I don't know the answer yet," she said. "I'll find out as it goes along. I'm just letting God take control of that."

Finalists Phil Stacey, whose parents live in Smyrna, and Chris Sligh, who has family in Springfield, both plan on moving here soon. Phil is likely to sign with a major country label, while Chris will probably opt for a Nashville Christian label. It's too soon to announce their label or management affiliations, but it's safe to say they're in talks with top-notch folks.

"I do plan on putting out a country record," said Stacey, who spent time with his parents, wife and daughters in his hotel room Wednesday. "My influences are country and gospel, so I may put out a blend of the two, music I can express my faith in as well as just hopefully make a connection with the listening audience."

Idol winner Jordin Sparks spent the day with Michael W. Smith and his birthday-girl daughter, Anna.

"There's a house for sale in Anna's neighborhood," Jordin aid. "I was like, 'I'm buying it.' It's a dream just talking about it, but I would love to move here."

Taryn Southern, a minor celeb who appeared on American Idol in 2004, wrote and stars in a sexually charged video send-up of Democratic presidential hopeful Sen. Hillary Clinton.

The video, containing strong sexual inuendo, includes such lyrics as:: "Obama is nice, but you've got something he lacks," as Southern, in the role of school teacher, shows her class a white-board with the word "Ovaries" written across it.

Southern also sings, "I know you're not gay, but I'm hoping for i…lingual!"

Count Katherine McPhee among the numerous pop stars who are hoping for a film career, too:

The American Idol runner up will co-star with Anna Faris (Scary Movie) in an untitled comedy, which Adam Sandler’s Happy Madison will produce. The movie stars Faris as a Playboy bunny who gets evicted from the House of Hef and then stumbles into the job of den mother to the lamest sorority on a nearby college campus.

Entertainment Weekly says McPhee, who described herself as ''funny and silly'' in her American Idol profile, will play one of those sorority girls. Sony is reportedly aiming for a late summer start date.

Specifically, McPhee will be portraying a pregnant hippie in an the-yet untitled comedy starring Faris and Bruce Willis' daughter, Rumer Willis.

As Jordin Sparks leads the American Idol contestants on tour this summer, TV Guide sat down to talk with the season six champion:

TV Guide: When did you get to Florida?
Jordin Sparks: We got to Florida on the 1st, so we've been here for a week, you know, tanning and soaking up the sun and rehearsing....

TV Guide: Have you done any sightseeing yet?
Jordin: We had a day off where I rode the WaveRunners and we all just kind of chilled. It was really fun.

TV Guide: Was that your first time on a WaveRunner?
Jordin: It's like a Jet Ski, which I have driven before, and I just had a blast. It was me, my mom, Blake Lewis and Chris Richardson. It was really relaxing. There was a Jacuzzi, and we swam in the ocean.

TV Guide: Did people look twice in the water when they saw you speed by with Blake and Chris?
Jordin: Yeah, there were a couple of people, but it's OK. We took a lot of pictures and signed some autographs. For the most part, people were really cool and were probably like, "Oh, they're on vacation, too."

TV Guide: Did you get to go do anything else?
Jordin: We get off pretty late from these rehearsals, but Gina Glocksen had a party because it was her birthday this past week. We went to her aunt and uncle's beach house, which wasn't very far from the hotel. We went to Outback Steakhouse after that and ate. It's been just great.

TV Guide: Any surprises about the tour rehearsals, anything you didn't expect?
Jordin: It's been crazy because we only rehearsed with part of the stage back in California. So when we got here and the actual full stage was here, it took some getting used to because it's bigger than we thought it'd be. We've just got to learn how to breathe right and pace ourselves. When we walked in, we were all looking around at the empty seats. This arena is huge and there's going to be people filling up these seats! I can't believe this is actually happening.

TV Guide: Do you still feel like you're dreaming?
Jordin: I am, and it's so much fun. I can't believe opening night is tonight. My adrenaline is pumping at a million miles per hour.

Continue Reading...

Great news for audiences that adore Fantasia Barrino in The Color Purple: the American Idol songstress is in talks to extend her time on Broadway with a new show.

 The New York Daily News says the singer is negotiating with the producers of a big musical to be based on the life of Ada (Bricktop) Smith, an African-American expatriate in Paris in the 1920s who became a nightlife queen.

Bricktop's is a great story. She rose from humble beginnings in Alderson, W. Va., to become the toast of Paris in the Roaring '20s, where she was first employed overseas by Cole Porter to teach dances such as the Charleston at his parties.

By 1929, she owned her own nightclubs such as The Music Box, Le Grand Duc and her famous Chez Bricktop, where she entertained Porter, the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, and F. Scott Fitzgerald. Porter wrote "Miss Otis Regrets" for her.

Chuck Seffan's doing the lyrics for the musical, and composer Ron Abel will weave together new arrangements of the era's great jazz standards along with his original tunes.

Abel will announce the project Sunday night at Birdland during a performance of his hits and original music he has composed for the show, to be sung by Michele Lee, Lucie Arnaz, Valerie Pettiford, Billy Stritch and Sally Hayes.

He'll be joined by the show's producers, Paul Lambert and Jonas Neilson - who are also working on a Broadway version of The First Wives Club - with composer Marvin Hamlisch expected in the audience. Barrino's management says she hasn't yet brought the project to their attention and confirm that she will remain in The Color Purple through the end of the year.

Meanwhile, those working on Bricktop hope the show will hit Broadway in early 2009 after a trial run in Chicago.

Move over, Kelly Clarkson.

There's another new album arriving in stores this month from a former American Idol star. True Beauty, a vocal project with a faithful purpose, is the first effort by Mandisa.

Her earlier release, "Only The World," recently reached the #1 spot of POP Billboard’s Hot Singles Sales. Radio DJs around the country have been playing and loving it, noting that they’re sure to be hearing more from Mandisa soon.

Here is a review of the CD by Blog Critics:

Mandisa, an American Idol contestant who was eliminated in the ninth round, refers to herself as "a plus-sized, thirty-year-old black woman whose heart belongs to Jesus."  She believes that her ninth place finish was not a punishment but rather the fulfillment of God's purpose for her life.

Besides the highly anticipated True Beauty album, Mandisa has also recently published the book IDOLeyes, a telling of her life from unknown to possibly the most recognized former American Idol.

The title, True Beauty, is Mandisa’s message about “Visions of perfection/Such a misconception/’Cause the real connection is deeper than the eye can see.” It exemplifies the desire of women to be known and respected for who they are within.  Singing from personal experience, it is a Biblical message that all women in today's modern world need to hear and believe.

Highlights from the album are “Oh My Lord,” a lively tune with Negro spiritual rhythms which includes the Fisk University Jubilee Singers. "It's a brand new day/Somebody raise your hands and sing! ... You set me free/I belong to the King of Kings."  This is truly a song of thanks and freedom!

“Love Somebody,” written by TobyMac and Aaron Rice features TobyMac and his band Diverse City. Reminiscent of the disco era, "Take a chance and pass it on/ And love somebody."  This is not a romantic love song, but rather an example of how each of us can affect the world, "Love your neighbor as yourself."

“God Speaking” relates how God breaks through to those who are listening. Flowing gently, it summons the richness of Mandisa's vocal abilities.

“Voice of a Savior” was co-penned by Sam Mizell and Matthew West. "You and I are not that different/....All we want is a hand to reach to."  A beautiful song, Mandisa emphasizes that we are all the same — looking for Christ to fill the void within us.

Do you want to dance?  Beginning with the clink clink of chains, the single "Shackles" requires the listener to throw off the binds that hold him from dancing.  This song will have even the most introverted feeling like moving his feet.  The syncopation is written right into the middle to spice it up.

"Steal My Joy" lifts up the depressed, giving hope to those oppressed by the struggles of life given to us by the world.  Sweet and short, it's uplifting.

True Beauty demonstrates Mandisa’s range, variations in style, breath, and vibrato. She carries her listeners on a journey through her Christian and public life. It is a life in which she’s struggled, rejoiced, endured tests, and has found freedom. It is a debut worth listening to.

FremantleMedia - the production company behind American Idol and official licensor for the Fox mega-hit - has inked a deal with Lyric Jeans, Inc. to create a "lyric-inspired" American Idol brand of apparel.

"American Idol is the most powerful and iconic music brand in popular culture today and the perfect tie-in for our creative concept," said Lyric Jeans president Hanna Rochelle Schmieder.  "We couldn't have dreamt of a better partner. Now music and fashion lovers everywhere can feel like a pop star and express themselves through our lyric-driven lifestyle brand."

Reality TV World reports that The licensing agreement, which was announced on Monday, will have Lyric Jeans developing apparel for department stores, mid-tier and mass market retailers, focusing on the demographic of contemporary juniors and girls with the expansion into children's wear a possibility.

Lyric Jeans already produces clothing featuring song lyrics made famous by numerous artists, including The Beatles, Rod Stewart and The Bee Gees.

"Lyric Jeans has taken a unique approach in personalizing musical expression through fashion," said Nora Wong, FremantleMedia North America's manager of consumer licensing.  "Lending the American Idol name to this apparel line is a fantastic extension for both brands and gets to the heart of what the American Idol brand is all about."